2024 Parish Council Meeting Minutes

Minutes of the Hemswell Parish Council extraordinary meeting held Monday 22nd April 2024, 7.15 PM at Hemswell and Harpswell Village Hall, Hemswell.

Present: Parish Councillors:  Cllr. J. Roberts (Vice-Chair), Cllr. M. Foster, Cllr. P. Sutherland. Clerk: E. Raymond. District Councillor: P. Howitt-Cowan, Member(s) of the Public (MoP): 4

Public Forum Start 7:15 PM

Members of the public:

i. A resident:

• Wished to thank the councillors who had worked so hard on the recent planning application and expressed their disappointment that they had resigned from the PC. They expressed thanks for their efforts in developing the neighbourhood plan and for all the work over the years to help support the community.  

ii. A resident:

• Expressed thanks to Bryan Mander for his good work for the PC. The resident raised issues on fly-tipping, a raised manhole on Weldon Road, the continuous stream of water running down Brook Street, the problem with loose gravel around the village, and poor car parking along Brook Street. Cllr. Roberts advised that most of the issues, including the flowing spring water, had been reported several times and encouraged all residents to use FixMyStreet to report issues quickly and easily. The clerk was asked to continue to report these issues.

The Chair thanked the public for their contributions and convened the Parish Council meeting at 7:22 PM.

01-04-24/25 WELCOME & REMARKS Cllr. Roberts opened the meeting and welcomed everyone. The Chair expressed the PC’s disappointment at the outcome of the WLDC Planning Application (No. 147233, Land rear of Church St.), but more importantly, that it led to the subsequent resignation of two valued councillors – Bryan Mander and Michelle Sheppard. The PC recognised the decision to resign was not taken lightly and especially wished to thank Bryan Mander for his dedication and commitment to the PC, being not only an experienced councillor and chair but also serving as acting clerk, RFO and burial clerk at the same time. Members echoed this sentiment, recognising the significant effort and time that Bryan Mander had given to all aspects of supporting the PC and the community by undertaking additional tasks over and above his role of councillor.

02-04-24/25     To elect the Chair of the Parish Council and to receive the Chair’s Declaration of Acceptance of Office. Cllr. Roberts was proposed and seconded for election as Chair. The motion was unanimously carried and Cllr. Roberts duly signed the Declaration of Acceptance of Office. RESOLVED to ELECT Cllr. J Roberts as Chair of Hemswell PC. Action: Clerk to return appropriate paperwork to WLDC.

03-04-24/25     To elect the Vice-Chair of the Parish Council and to receive the Declaration of Acceptance of Office. Cllr. Foster was proposed and seconded for election as Vice-Chair. The motion was unanimously carried and Cllr. Foster duly signed the Declaration of Acceptance of Office. RESOLVED to ELECT Cllr. M. Foster as Vice-Chair of Hemswell PC. Action: Clerk to return appropriate paperwork to WLDC.

04-04-2024/5   APOLOGIES FOR ABSENCE. All members present. No apologies received.

05-04-2024/5   DECLARATIONS OF INTEREST AND DISPENSATION REQUESTS No declarations were received.

06-04-2024/5 NOTES To consider and resolve to approve the notes of the previous meeting. RESOLVED that Minutes of the Ordinary Meeting held Monday 18th March 2024 be approved and signed as a correct record. The chair noted that review of action items and clerk’s report from the meeting of 18th March 2024 would be deferred until the meeting of 20th May 2024.

BUSINESS MATTERS FOR CONSIDERATION

07-04-2024/5    To receive written applications for the office of Parish Councillor for co-option to fill existing vacancies.

The Chair thanked the two applicants for expressing interest in becoming parish councillors and for submitting completed application forms. The Chair temporarily suspended the meeting (SO 10.a.xiv) to invite Mrs Rosemary James to briefly describe her background, experience, and reasons for wishing to join the PC. The chair then invited Mr Geoff Jago to briefly describe his background, experience, and reasons for wishing to join the PC.

The chair thanked the applicants for speaking and for their willingness to support and join the PC and reconvened the meeting, inviting members to vote, by a show of hands, on the proposal to co-opt Mrs Rosemary James and Mr Geoff Jago as councillors to Hemswell PC. An absolute majority of votes cast (as per LGA 1972, sch 12, s 39(1-2)) was recorded, and Mrs Rosemary James and Mr Geoff Jago were duly co-opted. The Acceptance of Office forms were signed in the clerk’s presence, and the two members took their seats with existing council members. The clerk received signed ‘Receipt of Code of Conduct’ and ‘Register of Interest’ forms from the new members. RESOLVED to CO-OPT Mrs Rosemary James to the position of Parish Councillor and to CO-OPT Mr Geoff Jago to the position of Parish Councillor. ACTION: Clerk to notify and return the completed paperwork to WLDC.

08-04-2024/5    To review existing banking provision as per PC financial regulations and consider options to switch providers (separate report provided). The clerk summarised the report for the benefit of new Cllrs. and a member advised members it was a bank they had dealt with in the past and suggested that suggested that holding a greater proportion of funds in the savings account with a higher interest rate could help offset the monthly fee. The clerk advised that proof of ID will be required from members to set up the account. RESOLVED to ENGAGE Unity Trust Bank with all current members named on the bank mandate. Existing funds will be transferred from TSB to Unity Trust Bank, and TSB accounts will be closed. ACTION: Clerk to action and to report to the full council when the transition is complete.

09-04-2024/5    To review and approve revisions to the Scheme of Delegation (V1.1 Adopted May 2023).

The existing policy was circulated to members before the meeting. The clerk summarised the purpose of the Scheme of Delegation to the new members. No amendments to the draft were required. RESOLVED to ADOPT the revised Scheme of Delegation. ACTION: Clerk to update revision history, publish to PC website and update policy spreadsheet. 

10-04-2024/5    To review and approve revisions to Standing Orders (V2.1 Adopted May 2023).

The existing policy was circulated to members before the meeting. The clerk summarised the purpose of the Standing Orders to the new members. No amendments to the draft were required. RESOLVED to ADOPT the revisions to the Standing Orders. ACTION: Clerk to update revision history, publish to PC website and update policy spreadsheet. 

11-04-2024/5    To receive an update on the ecology assessment of the Cemetery and Beck Lane undertaken March 2024 (WLDC Grant Funded).

The clerk explained the purpose of the visit and summarised the recommended enhancements from the report for the two areas, including measures to improve species richness, wildlife corridors, native species planting and clearing of non-native species, etc. A member made an important point regarding the suggestion of leaving an ‘unmown’ area in the cemetery, given that it is a relatively small site surrounded by a significantly larger area of grassland, some of which is grazed, but which nevertheless provides an existing and extensive natural habitat. A member asked how the report findings would address the question of whether to mow along the Beck or not and how to balance accessibility along the Beck versus biodiversity.  The clerk advised the tree survey is scheduled for the w/c 6th May 2024, and after receipt of that report, it would be appropriate to look at ‘next steps’ and develop a strategy for maintenance together with registering the Beck as common land.  RESOLVED to NOTE receipt of the ecology assessment and to await the tree survey report.

FINANCIAL MATTERS

12-04-2024/5 Matters included a review of the current financial status and summary of accounts and transactions. 

Current Account:  £ 22,012.89     Deposit Account:  £ 3236.05       Data crosses a financial year end.

Income for this period appears higher than normal due to receipt of the 2024/2025 precept and fee for a memorial in the cemetery. The clerk advised matters were in hand to prepare for the Annual Governance & Accounting Report (AGAR) at the May 2024 meeting.

VAT against non-business expenditure currently stands at £402.59 (FY 2023-/4).   A claim will be submitted in the next few weeks.

RECONCILIATION OF ACCOUNTS

• Reconciliation of the current and deposit account completed for period Dec – March 2024 (Cllr. Foster).
• Reconciliation of accounts and preparation for year-end is in progress, awaiting internal auditor report. AGAR will be presented at May PC meeting.

EXPENDITURE OVER £100.00 Transparency Code for Smaller Authorities (DCLG 2014) requires Hemswell Parish Council to publish a list of all payments over £100 (NET). Details of these payments can be found on the Parish Council website. 

EMPLOYMENT Staff P60 issued. HMRC Basic Tools tax codes updated.

RESOLVED to ACCEPT the Financial Report as an accurate record.

12-04-2024/5i Following the report, a discussion took place about the cleaning of the Maypole, due 24.04.2024, and a member asked whether it should still proceed as concern had been raised about possible damage to the ribbons. The member suggested the PC may need to be prepared to cover the cost of replacing the ribbons next year if they were damaged from cleaning. Members acknowledged that it had taken several months to engage the contractor and that it was unfortunate that an earlier date for cleaning had not been possible. If this contractor proves suitable, the clerk advised that cleaning could be arranged before the ribbons are put up next year, given that the necessary paperwork and assurances, RAMS, etc., were now in place. The suggestion was made to liaise with the Village Hall Committee/resident to see what could be done to facilitate cleaning on 24.04.2024 to ensure a thorough job whilst minimising potential damage to the ribbons. 

13-04-2024/5  DATE OF NEXT MEETING – To resolve to note that the Annual Parish Council Meeting will be held Monday 20th May 2024, 7:00 pm (following the Annual Meeting of the Parish). 

The Chair concluded the meeting by expressing again his thanks to Bryan Mander for his support, stating that the PC was in much better shape thanks to his work and guidance. The Chair also thanked Michelle Sheppard for her time as councillor. The chair then thanked the existing members, the clerk and District Cllr. Paul Howitt-Cowan for their continued support and new Cllrs. James and Jago for their public spiritedness in standing for co-option.

Meeting Closed: 8:10 PM